Club members shine at LiveArts

April 25th, 2015

We recently had the opportunity to bring some Club members from our Performing Arts Program to perform in a very special event. LiveArts was a one-night only concert held at the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids on April 24, 2015.

In an unprecedented collaboration, the Grand Rapids Symphony, Symphony Chorus,Youth Symphony, Youth Symphony Chorus, Opera Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Ballet, Broadway Grand Rapids and more (if you can believe that!) all came together for an evening of unforgettable performances. Area composer Sean Ivory composed a piece that would incorporate all the musical entities present. They even decided to create a “Community Youth Chorus” made up of kids from Grand Rapids area schools. That is where we came in…

When the GR Symphony approached us about being involved in LiveArts, it only took a moment to say yes. Even though our own Spring Concert would be a few weeks later, we knew that this would be an opportunity our members would carry with them for the rest of their lives. Performing in a huge arena with thousands of musicians? Sign us up!

The concert included 1,564 performers, 1,286 of which were children. What transpired was a long but magical week of rehearsals culminating in the big performance on Friday night. Our members were troopers, getting through long nights with a lot of waiting in our seats with ease. The logistics of the massive processional into the arena for act two was a huge undertaking that had to be rehearsed many times. And of course, the piece we were singing in had to be rehearsed as well. An 11-minute epic about working together, "I Will Rise" contained a lovely musical line that we repeated throughout the piece: “Two are better than one. If you fall, I will pick you up.”

Friday night arrived and our members were excited and a little nervous to see the arena fill up with over 7,000 audience members. What an experience at a young age! The show went off without a hitch and was absolutely stunning. "I Will Rise" finished to a large round of applause from the audience, and smiles were on everyone’s faces. LiveArts concluded with a standing ovation from the crowd, which pleased our performers greatly. They left the arena feeling like stars. We already knew they were.